State of Delirium - Chapter 3 [CastleLand Big Bang]
Title: State of Delirium
Author: penelope_ziva
Chapter: 3/?
Rating: PG-13
Word count: 1,025
Summary: When Detective Beckett receives a phone call from someone claiming to be a character in one of Castle's books, life begins to get rather interesting...
Disclaimer: I still do not own Castle. But I will... MUA HA HA HA HA.
Author's Notes: Thank you to my awesome beta hazel_eyes_86!
13:05
“His nose was a bit bigger than that,” Amie told the sketch artist, who obligingly enlarged the nose on the sketch of ‘Niall Coleman.’ “And his cheek bones were less sharp.”
Beckett looked over at Amie Robson, sitting awkwardly with the sketch artist, directing his pencil to hopefully give them the best possible likeness of their suspect.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Castle grinned at Beckett. This case had been personal from the start, and Beckett was relieved by the lack of jokes from Castle. Killing a popular author wouldn’t have been the best thing for public relations.
“I just want to find this guy,” Beckett said, standing up from where she’d been sitting on her desk.
“So does everyone else,” Castle informed her truthfully. Maybe if we catch the guy, everything will go back to normal, he hoped. The bickering, the teasing. He disliked seeing Beckett this annoyed at not being able to catch a suspect.
“At least you know you have one fan,” Beckett pointed out, with a grin.
“Oh, I know I do,” Castle winked at her. “She’s standing opposite me.”
Half an hour later, and the sketch provided by the artist and Amie was being run through facial recognition to try to see if there were any matches in the database.
“Hey, Beckett,” Esposito called to her and she looked up. “We’re going to get some food, you want something?”
Beckett nodded. “Just get me anything,” she answered gratefully. She’d almost forgotten about lunch completely.
*
“This case is seriously messed up,” Esposito commented, referring to the note on Beckett’s car that she’d told them about earlier, as they headed back towards the precinct with tacos for themselves as well as Beckett and Castle.
“It just got a little worse,” Ryan said, stopping. Esposito turned and noticed the piece of paper slipped under one of the tacos.
“This guy just doesn’t quit!”
*
Beckett read the note, her heart sinking.
Detective Beckett,
You are more intelligent than I thought.
Dear little Amie, telling you all she knows.
I suppose you know my face now.
I hope you are still coming to our rendezvous.
Because if you don’t…
“Then he’ll do what?” Ryan asked, and Beckett shrugged.
“I don’t think I want to know,” she answered. 7 hours, her mind couldn’t help but remind her. “Although I can probably guess.”
Esposito turned as his computer beeped. “We’ve got a possible match,” he said, opening the file. “Lance Garrison, 39 years old… and he’s an outpatient of the Manhattan Psychiatric Clinic, but he didn’t turn up to his last appointment, which was two days ago.”
Beckett nodded. This was definitely their suspect. She read the details on his mental illness. Delusional disorder, she noted. That sounded about right.
“We should go visit his wife,” Beckett informed the others. “Castle, stay here with Esposito.”
Ryan and Beckett headed out of the precinct, as Castle called out, “Ex-wife! She filed for divorce one week ago!”
Beckett gave him a thumbs up. “Sorry Castle, you’re still not coming.”
Castle sighed and sat down at Beckett’s desk. “At least I get her taco.”
He reached for the half eaten taco only to find it gone. He glared at Esposito.
“Well, I didn’t really want it anyway,” he decided, ignoring Esposito’s smirk.
*
Ryan knocked on the front door of the Garrison’s house and a young girl of about five opened the door.
“Hello,” Beckett smiled at her. “Is your mom in?”
The little girl nodded and ran back inside, before reappearing seconds later with Lisa Garrison in tow, who was admonishing her daughter.
“Ellie, what have I said about opening the doors to strangers?” she said to her daughter, before glancing up at the detectives.
“Detective Kate Beckett, NYPD,” Beckett introduced herself. “And Detective Kevin Ryan. We’re here about your husband.”
“My husband?” Lisa asked, shaking her head. “Oh, you mean Lance, I suppose. What’s he done now?”
Beckett glanced at Ryan. “May we come in?”
Ten minutes later, Ryan finished breaking the news of her husband’s wrongdoings, while Beckett entertained Ellie in another room. “Do you know of his whereabouts?”
Lisa shook her head. “The last time I saw him was three weeks ago, when I asked him to leave. My lawyer took the divorce papers to Lance,” she admitted. “The man I married ten years ago was nothing like Lance now. He was sweet, considerate, hard-working…”
Ryan nodded. “What happened?”
“His sister died. When they were children she always took care of him,” Lisa told him. “His father died when he was young and his mother… I don’t know. I think she may have been an alcoholic. He didn’t talk about her much. But Holly? She was his whole world.”
“How long ago was that?” Ryan asked, noting it all down.
“About two months ago,” she said, twisting her hands together. “He quit his job, went out drinking at nights and I just couldn’t deal with him.”
“You were scared,” Ryan told her understandingly.
“I have a five year old daughter. She can’t be around someone like that,” Lisa sighed. “But maybe if I had tried harder… maybe all this wouldn’t have happened.”
*
Beckett and Ryan arrived back at the precinct two hours later, and Beckett set about deploying a few officers to various possible locations of Lance Garrison.
“He won’t be in any of those locations,” Castle disagreed.
“And why’s that?” Beckett asked him, sitting back in her chair.
“He thinks he’s Niall Coleman, not Lance Garrison,” Castle pointed out. “So he won’t be living in any places Lance knew of.”
Beckett nodded slowly. “He’s your character, where would Niall go?”
“A rich man’s place,” Castle informed her. “An expensive hotel, where he’d spend the money he took back from his ex-wife.”
Suddenly, Beckett’s phone rang and she lifted the receiver. “Detective Beckett.”
“Is it him?” Castle mouthed, but Beckett shook her head.
“Thank you,” she said to the detective who had called, replacing the receiver. “There’s been another murder.”
“Who?” Castle asked and Beckett passed him a note on which she had written down the name that the caller said.
Amie Robson.
(previous) • (next)
Author: penelope_ziva
Chapter: 3/?
Rating: PG-13
Word count: 1,025
Summary: When Detective Beckett receives a phone call from someone claiming to be a character in one of Castle's books, life begins to get rather interesting...
Disclaimer: I still do not own Castle. But I will... MUA HA HA HA HA.
Author's Notes: Thank you to my awesome beta hazel_eyes_86!
13:05
“His nose was a bit bigger than that,” Amie told the sketch artist, who obligingly enlarged the nose on the sketch of ‘Niall Coleman.’ “And his cheek bones were less sharp.”
Beckett looked over at Amie Robson, sitting awkwardly with the sketch artist, directing his pencil to hopefully give them the best possible likeness of their suspect.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Castle grinned at Beckett. This case had been personal from the start, and Beckett was relieved by the lack of jokes from Castle. Killing a popular author wouldn’t have been the best thing for public relations.
“I just want to find this guy,” Beckett said, standing up from where she’d been sitting on her desk.
“So does everyone else,” Castle informed her truthfully. Maybe if we catch the guy, everything will go back to normal, he hoped. The bickering, the teasing. He disliked seeing Beckett this annoyed at not being able to catch a suspect.
“At least you know you have one fan,” Beckett pointed out, with a grin.
“Oh, I know I do,” Castle winked at her. “She’s standing opposite me.”
Half an hour later, and the sketch provided by the artist and Amie was being run through facial recognition to try to see if there were any matches in the database.
“Hey, Beckett,” Esposito called to her and she looked up. “We’re going to get some food, you want something?”
Beckett nodded. “Just get me anything,” she answered gratefully. She’d almost forgotten about lunch completely.
*
“This case is seriously messed up,” Esposito commented, referring to the note on Beckett’s car that she’d told them about earlier, as they headed back towards the precinct with tacos for themselves as well as Beckett and Castle.
“It just got a little worse,” Ryan said, stopping. Esposito turned and noticed the piece of paper slipped under one of the tacos.
“This guy just doesn’t quit!”
*
Beckett read the note, her heart sinking.
Detective Beckett,
You are more intelligent than I thought.
Dear little Amie, telling you all she knows.
I suppose you know my face now.
I hope you are still coming to our rendezvous.
Because if you don’t…
“Then he’ll do what?” Ryan asked, and Beckett shrugged.
“I don’t think I want to know,” she answered. 7 hours, her mind couldn’t help but remind her. “Although I can probably guess.”
Esposito turned as his computer beeped. “We’ve got a possible match,” he said, opening the file. “Lance Garrison, 39 years old… and he’s an outpatient of the Manhattan Psychiatric Clinic, but he didn’t turn up to his last appointment, which was two days ago.”
Beckett nodded. This was definitely their suspect. She read the details on his mental illness. Delusional disorder, she noted. That sounded about right.
“We should go visit his wife,” Beckett informed the others. “Castle, stay here with Esposito.”
Ryan and Beckett headed out of the precinct, as Castle called out, “Ex-wife! She filed for divorce one week ago!”
Beckett gave him a thumbs up. “Sorry Castle, you’re still not coming.”
Castle sighed and sat down at Beckett’s desk. “At least I get her taco.”
He reached for the half eaten taco only to find it gone. He glared at Esposito.
“Well, I didn’t really want it anyway,” he decided, ignoring Esposito’s smirk.
*
Ryan knocked on the front door of the Garrison’s house and a young girl of about five opened the door.
“Hello,” Beckett smiled at her. “Is your mom in?”
The little girl nodded and ran back inside, before reappearing seconds later with Lisa Garrison in tow, who was admonishing her daughter.
“Ellie, what have I said about opening the doors to strangers?” she said to her daughter, before glancing up at the detectives.
“Detective Kate Beckett, NYPD,” Beckett introduced herself. “And Detective Kevin Ryan. We’re here about your husband.”
“My husband?” Lisa asked, shaking her head. “Oh, you mean Lance, I suppose. What’s he done now?”
Beckett glanced at Ryan. “May we come in?”
Ten minutes later, Ryan finished breaking the news of her husband’s wrongdoings, while Beckett entertained Ellie in another room. “Do you know of his whereabouts?”
Lisa shook her head. “The last time I saw him was three weeks ago, when I asked him to leave. My lawyer took the divorce papers to Lance,” she admitted. “The man I married ten years ago was nothing like Lance now. He was sweet, considerate, hard-working…”
Ryan nodded. “What happened?”
“His sister died. When they were children she always took care of him,” Lisa told him. “His father died when he was young and his mother… I don’t know. I think she may have been an alcoholic. He didn’t talk about her much. But Holly? She was his whole world.”
“How long ago was that?” Ryan asked, noting it all down.
“About two months ago,” she said, twisting her hands together. “He quit his job, went out drinking at nights and I just couldn’t deal with him.”
“You were scared,” Ryan told her understandingly.
“I have a five year old daughter. She can’t be around someone like that,” Lisa sighed. “But maybe if I had tried harder… maybe all this wouldn’t have happened.”
*
Beckett and Ryan arrived back at the precinct two hours later, and Beckett set about deploying a few officers to various possible locations of Lance Garrison.
“He won’t be in any of those locations,” Castle disagreed.
“And why’s that?” Beckett asked him, sitting back in her chair.
“He thinks he’s Niall Coleman, not Lance Garrison,” Castle pointed out. “So he won’t be living in any places Lance knew of.”
Beckett nodded slowly. “He’s your character, where would Niall go?”
“A rich man’s place,” Castle informed her. “An expensive hotel, where he’d spend the money he took back from his ex-wife.”
Suddenly, Beckett’s phone rang and she lifted the receiver. “Detective Beckett.”
“Is it him?” Castle mouthed, but Beckett shook her head.
“Thank you,” she said to the detective who had called, replacing the receiver. “There’s been another murder.”
“Who?” Castle asked and Beckett passed him a note on which she had written down the name that the caller said.
Amie Robson.
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